Kyler Murray is league’s most under pressure quarterback

Kyler Murray’s under pressure to perform better than he ever has to get his big contract extension

Murray hasn’t eclipsed 4,000 passing yards in a single season yet (just missed it twice), nor has he thrown for over 40 touchdowns. It’s not like these are make-or-break numbers for NFL teams, but it’s what Cardinals fans were used to when Warner and Palmer played.

Of course, Murray’s running threat will take some of that away. There have been games where Murray has taken over (multiple times this year), and it looks like he’s a world-beater.

Then, there are the absolutely unfathomable games that irritate Cardinals fans more than a large influx of Californians to Flagstaff (or any part of the state).

On top of this, Murray’s first-overall status doesn’t help his case. Cardinals fans’ expectations have defaulted to a very high bar that hasn’t really been met.

An embarrassing Monday Night Playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams had many wondering if the Cardinals even had the right quarterback.

If Murray cannot agree on a contract extension before the season, he will be under the most immense pressure to perform. Because the Cardinals aren’t fully showing their true colors, even though Steve Keim said that Murray is the future of this team.

Yet Murray remains without an extension at the time of this writing. All extensions take time to get done, and there’s plenty of off-season left. In my eyes, there’s just that three percent chance that Murray doesn’t have a longer future here.

The Cardinals have always let big-name players go, and botched contract negotiations from Keim himself with Calais Campbell and Tyrann Mathieu have haunted this franchise for years.

Keim will only give Murray what he himself thinks Murray is worth. If that happens, then the Cardinals could be in trouble.